Booknet Canada

For this month's podcast, we're talking with Simon Collinson, a former ebook developer, a small press publisher, and Content Sales Analyst at Rakuten Kobo, about an issue important to the health of the publishing industry, and especially important for those new to the industry: unpaid internships. We find out how he got involved in the #PayInterns campaign, why companies don't pay interns, some success stories, and how you can get involved in this issue.

In the final episode of our innovative bookselling series, we talk with bookstores who are findings ways to go beyond their core mandate of selling books. From school competitions to singles nights, they're finding creative ways to engage with their communities. We also have a segment with highlights from our new study, What's in Store: The State of Independent Bookselling in Canada 2018. Learn more about the bookstores featured in this episode: - The Bookshelf https://bookshelf.ca/ - Woozles https://woozles.com/ - Bolen Books https://www.bolen.bc.ca/ - A Different Booklist https://www.adifferentbooklist.com/ Read the full What's in Store report on our website, for free, at https://www.booknetcanada.ca/whats-in-store.

For the second episode in our summer series on innovative bookselling, we talk with Canadian booksellers who are dedicating space and time to supporting the writers in their communities, whether they're in grade school or working on their latest book. Find out more about the bookstores featured in this episode: - Woozles Writes!: https://www.woozles.com/?q=p.woozles_writes_ - Queen Books: http://queenbooks.ca/ - The Bookshelf: https://bookshelf.ca/home - A Different Booklist: https://www.adifferentbooklist.com/

For our three-part summer series, we're talking with booksellers across Canada who are proving that there's more than one way to sell a book. In part 1, we dive into some examples of outside-the-box partnerships where three brick-and-mortar bookstores work with a publisher, a podcast, and even another bookstore to reach new readers and sell more books. Episode links: - Podcast: Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! https://www.mythsbaby.com/ - Briny Books http://www.brinybooks.ca/ - Queen Books http://queenbooks.ca/ - Woozles' Gift of Reading Program https://www.woozles.com/?q=p.gift_of_reading - Weekly TinyLetter: Let's Sell Some Books https://tinyletter.com/booknet_canada You can find the transcript of the episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/7/29/podcast-innovative-bookselling-part-1-outside-the-box-partnerships#transcript

We're pleased to introduce BookNet Canada's latest project: LibraryData. While LibraryData is currently in beta only for select libraries who are providing their circulation and hold data, we're happy to share all the possibilities, realities, and general joy this new industry tool will bring. In this episode, we're also sharing some highlights from our study on library use and book buying in Canada, Borrow, Buy, Read. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/6/24/podcast-libraries-and-their-data-introducing-librarydata-a-new-product-from-booknet-canada) Show links: LibraryData: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/library-data Borrow, Buy, Read: Library Use and Book Buying in Canada: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/borrow-buy-read Jumping on the basketball bandwagon: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/6/10/jumping-on-the-basketball-bandwagon

In this episode, BookNet Canada Research Associate Shimona Hirchberg shares some highlights from our new Demand for Diversity: A Survey of Canadian Readers study, alongside related clips from our recent Tech Forum 2019 conference that add some more context to the conversation on diversity in the Canadian book industry. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/5/28/podcast-demand-for-diversity) Further reading: - Read the full, free study, Demand for Diversity: A Survey of Canadian Readers: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/demand-for-diversity - Continue the discussion with our blog post that includes more resources on the topic: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/5/17/further-reading-demand-for-diversity - View videos from Tech Forum 2019 on the BookNet Canada YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRthkZj3fAc3DXfR7-Zl3sguRhXU_xPqX

In this month's episode, we talk about ISNI, the International Standard Name Identifier. It's an identifier with potential in the supply chain for your trading partners and as a marketing tool. Tom Richardson, Bibliographic Manager at BookNet Canada and Kendra Martin, Marketing Administrator at Dundurn Press (https://www.dundurn.com), join us to shed light on how ISNI is and isn't being used. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/4/30/podcast-isni-the-dream-identifier)

Jennifer Baker of the Minorities in Publishing podcast interviews Jael Richardson, author, columnist, and founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), on craft, publishing, and formulating equity within the literary community. This conversation was hosted live at Tech Forum on March 20, 2019. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/3/25/podcast-minorities-in-publishing-live-at-tech-forum-2019)

Here at BookNet, we've had children's titles on the mind since we opened up voting for our new Loan Stars Jr. list in November. The first Loan Stars Jr. list, consisting of Juvenile and Young Adult titles, will be released this March and while we're waiting to see what will make the inaugural list, there's been a lot of reflecting and bonding over memories of the books and library programs that led us to dedicate our lives to making them. It also raised questions about the state of children's publishing in Canada and the role that libraries play. So we decided to take our questions to children's librarian, Scott Robins, the Children's Services Specialist at the Don Mills branch of the Toronto Public Library. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/2/25/podcast-a-childrens-librarian-on-the-state-of-childrens-publishing-in-canada) Connect with Loan Stars: Loan Stars: https://www.loanstars.ca/ Loan Stars Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loanstars Loan Stars Twitter:

Our PubFight game came to an end at the beginning of January, so we wanted to interview our All-Star players to find out what strategies they employed, whether they were successful or not, what they learned, and apparently most importantly, how they felt about the trash talk. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2019/1/29/podcast-pubfight-all-stars-game-end-wrap-up) Further reading: The road to the All-Stars finale: All the blog posts about this league: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/?tag=all-stars More information and how to sign up for PubFight: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/pubfight/

For our last episode of 2018, we share the bestselling Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Juvenile/YA books of the year, discuss some of the major award winners, give a rundown of the top 10 Loan Stars picks for the year, and look ahead to our projects for 2019. (Find the transcript of this episode here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2018/12/17/bestselling-books-of-2018-and-year-end-wrap-up) Further reading: Bestselling books of 2018: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2018/12/11/2018-bestsellers Literary awards season: Canadian awareness of and interest in literary awards: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2018/10/8/literary-awards-season-canadian-awareness-of-and-interest-in-literary-awards Loan Stars Best of the Brightest 2018: https://bnccatalist.ca/viewcatalogue.aspx?id=32907 AmReading research series: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/amreading-research-series Readers Are Listening: Audiobook Use in Canada 2018: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/readers-are-listening LibraryData: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/library-

Talk to anyone in the book industry and they'll tell you, the winter holidays are the best but busiest time of year for book sales. We bring you the stats you need to know for the season and we talk to Rebecca Andoff of Type Books in Toronto for the retailer perspective. Resources mentioned in the podcast: When does holiday shopping begin: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2017/12/19/when-does-holiday-shopping-begin Think with Google: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-ca/consumer-insights/want-win-holiday-season-get-know-these-four-types-canadian-shoppers/ How and when to reach the 2018 holiday shopper: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2018/10/15/how-and-when-to-reach-the-2018-holiday-shopper Perennial holiday bestsellers: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/?tag=perennial+bestsellers RCC Holiday Shopping Survey 2018: https://www.retailcouncil.org/research/holiday-shopping-in-canada-survey-2018/ Canada Post 2018 Holiday Success Guide: https://www.retailcouncil.org/research/canada-post-2018-holiday-

It's been two eventful years since we published our last study on audiobook listening in Canada, so we're back with updated stats on consumer habits and preferences for 2018. We're also discussing recent work being done to support the expansion of audiobook production in Canada, including a new initiative between Audible and Ryerson University. You can read our study, Readers Are Listening: Audiobook Use in Canada 2018, for free in its entirety here: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/readers-are-listening Other resources: - Livres Canada Books' The Global Audiobook Market report: https://livrescanadabooks.com/en/reports/digital-publishing/the-global-audiobook-market/ - Details on the partnership between Audible and Ryerson: https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/press-releases-pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/audible-and-ryerson-university-announce-a-collaboration-to-develop-new-facilities-and-programming-in-audio-entertainment - eBOUND Canada: https://www.eboundcanada.org

This month we're talking about book clubs. But not the kind where you pretend to read the books and just drink wine – real book clubs. We're bringing you some stats on Canadian book clubs: who's in them, how they find their books, and more. We also take a look at the popularity of celebrity book clubs. And lastly we talk to Randy Chan, senior marketing manager at Harlequin, who talks to us about the importance of book clubs to publishers and how they find and reach out to them. To see the transcript of the episode and links to further reading see our blog post: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2018/9/28/the-first-rule-of-book-club-is-tell-us-all-about-your-book-club

From drag queens to Netflix to registered therapy dogs to power tools, Canada's libraries offer patrons more than just books. In this month's episode, Athena McQueen tells us about her involvement with Drag Queen Story Time, and OLA's Michelle Arbuckle talks about the importance of libraries and community outreach programs. Plus Elizabeth Barker and Monique Mongeon share a little bit about BookNet's various library projects. To find out more about Athena McQueen's upcoming events, visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theathenamcqueen/ The Drag Queen Storytime article that we mentioned, featuring Michelle and her daughter Simone, can be found here: https://torontolife.com/culture/books/inside-drag-queen-storytime-toronto-librarys-fiercest-kids-reading-series/ Finally, don't forget to check out OLA's Library Land Loves podcast: http://librarylandloves.libsyn.com/ Loan Stars: https://www.loanstars.ca/ SalesData for Libraries: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/salesdata-for-libraries

As part of his mission to make sure artists are financially supported, Toronto-based fundraising consultant Rahim Ladha has taken it upon himself to fund and award three new cash prizes for underrepresented writers in Canada, ranging from BIPOC writing poetry to non-binary illustrators working in SFF. In this month's episode, we talk to Rahim about his intentions for the monthly/quarterly awards, how it's going so far, and his plans for growing the program. Full details on the Spark, Nova, and Echo awards, including eligibility and how to get in touch with Rahim, can be found at https://shootforthemoon.art. The 'racism in CanLit' article that Rahim mentions in the episode can be found at http://yilinwang.com/racism-in-canlit.

In our latest research study, we asked publishers about their digital publishing programs, from audio production to use of EPUB 3. We're sharing some highlights from the report in this month's episode. We also expand on recent trends in digital audiobooks and stress the importance of providing accessible content for libraries. Here are the links that we mention in the episode: The State of Digital Publishing in Canada 2017: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/state-of-digital-publishing BISG's Quick Start Guide to Accessible Publishing: https://bisg.org/store/ViewProduct.aspx?id=6972996 Loan Stars: https://www.loanstars.ca Let's Sell Some Books TinyLetter: https://tinyletter.com/BookNet_Canada PubFight: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/pubfight

How big is the book piracy issue, who's pirating them, and why? We answer these questions, offer other (legal!) ways of getting free books, and talk with Canadian publisher ECW about how the industry is (or isn't) fighting back against book theft. Visit our blog for all the show notes, including sources and further reading: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2018/5/28/podcast-batten-down-the-hatches-how-were-combatting-book-piracy

This month we're looking back at our biggest book-publishing-meets-technology conference ever. From March 21-23, 2018, hundreds of professionals from across the industry, from ebook developers to librarians, converged in Toronto for Tech Forum and ebookcraft to share, learn, and debate the future of the industry. We've put together a highlight reel from some of our favourite talks (though they were all amazing), with insights on topics like metadata for ebooks, how retailers are bridging the digital divide, some great moments from our women in publishing panel, and lots more. Talks highlighted: 1:00 - Dave Cramer (Hachette), "Jiminy and Dave's Excellent CSS Adventure" 2:30 - Rose Donohoo (OverDrive), "Oh the Places Ebooks Go! An ebook's journey from creation to circulation" 3:30 - Noah Genner (BookNet Canada), "How We Read Digitally: ebookcraft 2018 research study" 4:25 - Monique Mongeon (BookNet Canada), "How We Read Digitally: ebookcraft 2018 research study" 5:12 - Ellen Ullman (Life in Code), "Ellen Ullm

From the archives: While still in her undergrad at Dartmouth College, Kaya Thomas developed her first app: We Read Too, a book resource application that showcases a directory of hundreds of children's and young adult fiction books written by and for people of colour, which contains over 600 books and has over 4,000 downloads. Kaya has held software engineering internships at Time Inc. and Intuit working on mobile applications. She was a CODE2040 2015 Fellow and is a technical volunteer mentor for Black Girls Code. For her work in education and technology, Kaya was honoured by Michelle Obama at the 2015 Black Girls Rock Awards. She joins us to talk about her favourite books, breaking into coding, and diversifying the publishing industry.